The Onigiri map, Melbourne: Daikokuten, Kuu, Chookas, 279, Ima Pantry, QQQ, Haiku, Tokyo Lamington and Nosh

Late last year, we were excited to hear about an Onigiri Map of places to buy onigiri around Melbourne with special stamps at each cafe for those participating.  It was a great way to explore different cafes and compare their onigiri.  We visited some favourite places and made some discoveries.  

All the onigiri was amazing.  One of our favourites was the onigiri with superb seasoning at Daikokuten that you can see in the top photo.  Today I will share our journey visiting the nine cafes on the Onigiri Map.  It is quite long but will give you an insight into where to get great onigiri in Melbourne. 

Upon first seeing the map, it felt quite a challenge to eat at all nine cafes in different areas of inner Melbourne over five weeks between 1 November and 7 December. 2024  Sylvia managed to fit it in by organise visiting nine Japanese cafes in three days.  Before we visited all of them, the map was ended early because it was unexpectedly popular and the organisers ran out of prizes.  We were more interested in trying new onigiri than freebie merchandise.  We continued our quest to get stamps on our map at all the participating cafes.

Day 1: Chookas, Ima Pantry, QQQ St Kitchen, Tokyo Lamington
Day 2: Daikokuten, Haiku Future, Kuu Cafe and Japanese Kitchen
Day 3: 279, Nosh

Onigiri is not the prettiest food.  It is not easy to photograph.  Yet it is a great quick snack.  Forming a handful of rice into a tightly packed ball or triangle, often with a seaweed (nori) wrapper, means it is quick to purchase and easy to transport.  They are usually a reasonable price, in this day age, for about $6 to $8 per piece.  

It was interesting to see the different ways to present it: fully wrapped, half wrapped or not at all wrapped; plain rice filled, rice mixed with filling or layers of filling; fancy toppings, rolled in seasoning, with sesame seeds or wrapped in paper.  All the onigiri we tasted were vegetarian with most being vegan and most being gluten free.  While it was mostly called onigiri, sometimes it was also omusubi, musubi or onigirazu.

 

Daikokuten

Shop 1/398 Tooronga Rd, Hawthorn East VIC 3123
https://www.daikokuten.com.au

One of our favourite cafes was Dailkokuten and we returned there soon after.  Like all the cafes, there was an endearing spirit of kawaii cuteness.  You can see the spirit of this in each cafe having their own specially designed rubber stamp and coloured ink so we could stamp our map at each visit.  This was part of the fun of the map, both admiring each design and collecting them all.

The cafe was really busy when we arrived on our first visit on a weekend and were were lucky to find a seat for a quick onigiri each before heading off for our next location on the map.  I had the Sweet purple potato croquette onigiri at the front of the photo.  It was amazing and so delicious with a amazing furikake seasoning mix coating the rice and a piece of croquette atop like a garnish as well as in the middle of the rice triangle.  The croquette was beautifully cooked with a crisp coating and soft sweet potato inside.  Sylvia had the Tamago onigiri and raved about hers with similar seasoning coating and the piece of Japanese omelette instead of my croquette.  At $6 each, these were great value.

We loved Daikokuten so much that we stopped there for lunch before we met friends for a drink and a cake in the South Eastern suburbs.  It was a weekday and the place was much quieter.

Sylvia had a matcha latte which she loved.  It came with a nice swirl of latte art in a gorgeous cup and saucer.

She could not resist that amazing seasoning and ordered a plate of three onigiri: Tamago, Seaweed, and Avocado.  Daikokuten has such a good range of onigiri that it has a separate page of the menu for it.  As well as the four veg ones that we tried, they also offer Takana (pickled mustard greens) and Kinoko & Tamago (mushroom & omelette).

I was tempted by the onigiri but I also wanted to try something else.  I could not resist the Forbidden Garden poke bowl: the vegetarian version was $27.  It was a generous plate of black rice, nori, avocado, pickled vegetables, cherry tomato, edamame, mixed leaves with sesame dressing, purple sweet potato croquette with sriracha mayo, and it came with kinako mushroom but I asked for mine with fried tofu instead.  It was delicious with lots of great flavours and textures.  

Chookas

1 Ballarat St, Brunswick  VIC  3058
My post on Chookas or Chookas Instagram

The place that we started our onigiri trail was a favourite of ours.  We were excited to be on an adventure of new onigiri but we started with some of our favourites.  Chookas is such a great place to spend time in it's beautiful old 1930s building in the leafy lane.  They call their rice balls "omusubi".

 

Sylvia goes there almost every week and I go there occasionally with her.  We don't really need the menu. I really like the Kimchi omusubi with edamame and cheese.  This is not what I would have expected but it is not too spicy for me. Sylvia has lots of favourites and often has the marinated boiled egg and pickles on the side.  She got the Yukari omusubi with the egg and pickles on this visit.  Yukari (shiso rice seasoning) is made of dried purple shiso leaves and salt.  The onigiri has a umami flavour and a tart Japanese pickled plum hidden inside.  In addition to the Yukara there are quite a few vegan omusubi on the menu.

Ima Pantry

The Nightingale Village, Ground Floor, 9 Duckett Street, Brunswick, VIC 3056
https://www.imaproject.co/pantry

We loved a lunch last year at Ima Pantry's sister cafe Ima Asa Yoru so much that we had visited at Ima Pantry previously to browse their fancy Asian groceries but we have never eaten there.  When eating at the cafe we had tried the omusubi at a relaxed sit down meal with a set of side dishes.  In the pantry it is sold as snack food that can be takeaway or eaten quickly perched on a small bench in a corner of the grocery store where they sell food that is ready to eat.

When we had the onigiri with a creamy umeboshi filling, Sylvia was worried it was seafood and we asked to check it was vegetarian.  It is listed as vegan on the menu in the cafe.  Maybe the creaminess is a vegan mayo.  It goes so nicely with the rice and crispy seaweed wrapper.  I also tried a tahini biscuit sandwich with chocolate filling that was very good, albeit a bit fragile when taken on the onigiri trail in a paper bag in my handbag!

QQQ St Kitchen

4 Peel St, Collingwood VIC 3066
https://www.qqq-st.kitchen/

I had never heard of QQQ St Kitchen but when we visited it on Peel Street in Collingwood, I found it was just down from the Grace Darling Hotel on a corner of Smith Street that is very familiar to me.  I am not sure how long it has been there but I wish I had made my acquaintance with me sooner.  

We didn't eat in, although there was the option.  Instead we purchased at the hole in the wall.  I took our onigiri to the nearby park and Sylvia took hers to eat while she was entertained by a cat in a nearby window.  Not that we could stay long.  The rain kept us moving to the next place.

QQQ was one of the two cafes on the list that fully wrapped their onigiri.  Good for eating on the run.  Bad for photos.  It had one of my favourite onigiri.  It was a vegan special filled with Mushroom kaarage, capsicum and walnuts.  The mushroom did not excite me too much as I am not a huge fan and six of the nine cafes on the onigiri map had mushroom in at least one onigiri.  But I love walnuts and it is not a common onigiri addition. It is not for everyone, including Sylvia but she loves mushrooms so that was good.

Tokyo Lamington 

258 Elgin Street, Carlton VIC 3053
https://www.tokyolamington.com/

We were pleased to have the opportunity to return to Tokyo Lamington.  It is a small space but feels very stylish with the simple wooden benches and beautiful display of lamingtons.  They have such an amazing range of fun lamginton flavours but also some interesting savoury options.  It is hard not to have at least one lamington flavour that we are keen to try.  This time we were pleased with our selections of a strawberry orange lamington for Sylvia and a neapolitan lamington for me.  

We had the Miso eggplant and Umeboshi cream cheese onigiri.  Only the miso eggplant was vegan.  Both were really good but they were filled onigiri and I got confused and ate the umeboshi one.  Sylvia did not want the eggplant one so I ate that too.  No wonder that she was not very hungry.  Both of us were on our fourth onigiri place for the day and tired.  I fear there can be such a thing as too much onirigi!

Haiku Future

1161 Toorak Road, Camberwell VIC 3124
https://www.haikumelbourne.com/

When we were going to Haiku Future, I thought we were headed to Haiku Cafe which had a great menu.  Then I discovered that Haiku Future was the Japanese convenience store (konbini) next door to the cafe.s  It was fun looking at the groceries: ginger yuzu hot sauce, saltbush furikake, umame black garlic sauce with black sesame, and matcha white chocolate bronut.  There was also some beautiful kitchenware such as bowls and chopsticks.

The store has a small fridge area which has onigiri, which they call sushi burritos or onigirazu because it has layersof filling.  It is far more vegies and less rice than other onigiri.  We tried three and all were really good.  Sylvia ate most of the egg haloumi (I tasted the bit without egg) and I really liked the mushroom one.:

• Spicy tofu: tempura ponzu tofu. cos, korean hot sauce, viet pickles, kewpie vegan
• Egg haloumi: cos lettuce, tomato, sriracha. fried egg, haloumi, kewpie
• Teriyaki mushroom: grilled field mushroom, cucumber, spinach, vegan kewpie
  
  

Kuu Cafe and Japanese Kitchen

190 Park St, South Melbourne VIC 3205
https://www.instagram.com/kuujapanesecafe/

The last place on our map that we visited on our second day was Kuu Cafe and Japanese Kitchen.  We'd already eaten well but this place was on the other side of the river where we don't go often.  So we made the most of it.  The menu demanded that much of us!

It was disappointing that there were no onigiri.  After all that was what we were there for.  We were also there for an iced match latte and yuzu soda and to share an indulgent Tofu Katsu Sandwich ($15).  They did not disappoint.  Especially that crispy panko crumbed fried tofu with shredded cabbage, though I could do with a bit less sauces than the BBQ sauce, hot mustard and mayo.  Sylvia says she would have more sauce but I would have a little less.  There should be more amazing sandwiches like that in more cafes.  It would help spread some tofu love!

Sylvia's matcha-loving ways meant she could not go past the Matcha ganache cake.  It tasted really good but I was more impressed by the colour than the flavours.  (Cake is alwys better with chocolate!)  Whereas Sylvia was delighted with all of it.  Then we convinced the staff we really needed a stamp on our Onigiri map even though it had closed early.

We liked the place a lot but, honestly, I went back because I wanted to have an onigiri from each place on the map.  After all we had the stamp on our map.  It took us until this month to finally get back there.  It was worth it just to see the koala foam art on Sylvia's matcha latte.  How cute is that!

I had a ginger soda which was really refreshing.  It was similar to the yuzu soda that I had previously.  Both were served in tall soda glasses and came with a generous serve of candied citrus rind and - in the latter soda - of candied ginger.  It was a bit odd that pieces would make their way up the straw.  I did enjoy eating some and found myself surprised both at how much there way and how it actually worked.

 

The place was pretty cute.  Not only did they have pencil shaped containers for the cutlery, but they also had chopsticks that were pencils on one else. I was so fascinated by how these chopsticks were made.  They were fun for eating my Vegan tofu scramble ($21.50).  I was so surprised that the tofu was served in marinated chunks rather than mashed, that I asked the waiter if I had been given the scramble.  He assured me it was.  It seemed more like a stirfry with tofu, vegies and brown rice in a lovely garlic chilli soy sauce.  What set it apart was that it had a generous serve of greens and I really loved these with the sauce and a good squeeze of the fresh lemon wedge.

Sylvia wanted to try other dishes but she loved the tofu sando so much that she ordered it again, this time with a generous side of fries for $3.50.  I found that there were quite a few other veg options I would really love to try such as the Agedashi tofu set, the Kakiage (tempura veg) udon noodle soup, or the Tofu salad.

 

 

And we finally had our onigiri.  The vegan shitake mushroom tempura soy onigiri was excellent, though we wondered if we had it freshly made if it would have a bit of tempura crunch.  It had a great mushroom flavour and was worth the return visit.  We were back for the onigiri but the food was really good so we would definitely love to try more of their dishes.

279

279 Victoria St, West Melbourne VIC 3003
https://www.279victoriast.co/

The Onigiri map was organised by the folk at 279 cafe in West Melbourne We visited after the Onigiri map was closed early and had a chat to the friendly staff there.  It was great to have a chance to tell them how much we loved it.  They were overwhelmed by how many people brought a map stamped with every cafe and claimed their prizes.  We assured them it was the fun of going around the map that we loved rather than prizes.  Despite this, they were generous and found us some onigiri stickers.

They call their onigiri "musubi".  I had the Shiso miso (which I loved saying) and Sylvia had a Salted kelp.  They had 4 vegan options and 3 gluten free. Best of all they did a cute thank you on the paper bag we got our musubi in.  They even drew reindeer ears because it was December.  And the musubi was really good too. 

Nosh

Galleria, 2 Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000
https://nosh.net.au/

Fittingly it was evening by the time we visited our last cafe on the Onigiri Map.  We tried to go earlier but we went to the wrong Nosh (the map was only at one of the Nosh outlets) and we had a festive diorama workshop to attend so we went to the Galleria Nosh after it.  We were quite tired and disappointed to find that there was no onigiri left.

 

We had the Tamarind Tofu Taco: pan seared tofu with tamarind lime garlic sauce on coconut turmeric rice and baby greens encased in housemade crispy nori taco and roasted sesame seeds ($7.50).  It was very nice but not easy to share.  I also enjoyed a Miso Falalafel bowl in a visit soon after tthat we had to go.  The staff were very nice and gave us a stamp even though the map had closed early.

Finally a week or so ago, I went back determined to try the onigiri one lunchtime.  I tried the Melbourne Centre Nosh but it is now closed.  So I went back to their Galleria cafe.   I ordered the crispy eggplant set ($16.90) which came with two truffle shitake onigiri, crispy eggplant, miso sauce and house pickles.  When I was given three options and immediately asked for the eggplant one, the staff member asked if I wanted vegan because usually an onigiri set has one shitake and one salmon onigiri.  The onigiri was lovely but I was most impressed by the freshly fried and pleasingly crispy eggplant with the salty miso sauce.  

And with that final onigiri, I completed our aim of an onigiri at each location on the onigiri map.  It was a fun way to compare difference onigiri and gain a broader understanding of what the term might mean.

Mac and cheese with cauliflower and leek

Last year my 15 year old daughter cooked an impressive Christmas dinner for her and her dad.  She piled their plates with mac and cheese, marinated tofu, roast potatoes, roast carrots and peas.  The amazing mac and cheese was really rich with lots of cheese.  It was a viral Tik Tok sensation.  Our Prime Minister might be intent on banning social media for children under 16 years old but this fantastic dish shows me just how younger kids can benefit from this online world.  So today I am going to tell you about our version of Tini's Mac and Cheese!

First, let me warn you that this mac and cheese is not for the faint of heart.  It requires vision and boldness, planning and lists, time and energy!  We have made it three times: once for a practice run, once for Christmas and once for a birthday.  The recipe is from Tinike Younger's Tik Tok and since it was posted on 13 November 2023, it has amassed over 900,000 views.  It is that good.  Check out the review on the Kitchn.  The recipe has been posted in a blog style (ie writing not video) on Ima Food Blog. 

Tini's recipe is huge.  It will effortlessly feed a crowd.  We are a small household so we have reduced our version of the recipe to about half the original recipe.  It is also really really rich.  We have added leek and cauliflower because we like these vegies with pasta.  The added vegies make it easier to stomach the rich cheese sauce and make us feel slightly healthier when eating it.  It will give you plenty of energy but you need some stamina to make this recipe.

This recipe takes a lot of time so I find it easiest to break it down into smaller steps.  It also is a good recipe to make with a helper.  Firstly prepare all the components: chop and fry leeks, chop vegies, grate cheeses and get spices together.  I get the leeks on first and let them slowly soften in the frypan as I potter around.  I find it easier to measure the pepper if I measure peppercorns and grind them with a mortar and pestle.  Sylvia likes to grate all the cheeses in front of the tv.  It is important to have them in a bowl with a bit of space you you can mix them together so all of them go in at each step of the recipe.

Then I put on the pasta and cauliflower to cook and start making the cheese sauce.  It does not take much effort to bring a pot of water to boil and simmer some pasta and veg.  The cheese sauce is another matter.  It took me a while to get use to making them but now they are not too hard.  Yet they are still quite a few steps: melt butter, stir in flour to make a roux, fry the roux, add the liquid a little at a time making sure that it is well mixed after each addition, and then finally bringing it to the boil when it will thicken.  

This roux does not thicken much until all that cheese goes in.  I don't usually add so much cheese so it was a surprise to be instructed to add it a few handfuls at a time but I can see the sense of it.  Nobody wants to have to tackle a huge mass of unmelted cheese in their sauce. 

If you also have never made a roux with this much cheese you too might stop when you have finished it to lift the spoon from the sauce to admire the cheese stretch.  At this moment, we were excited about how good the mac and cheese would be because that sauce was so cheesy and stretchy.  I usually make a roux with milk but this recipe used evaporated milk and cream.  So it is really rich!

It is so satisfying to mix together the cheese sauce, the pasta and cauliflower and the fried leek.  The promise of the cheese stretch in the sauce does not disappoint when the mixture is all together.  Again we found ourselves lifting up big spoonfuls of it just to admire all those stretchy cheese strings!  Sylvia found the end result could have been more salty so I had added some extra paprika in the below recipe to pump up the flavour!

Next you layer the pasta mixture and extra cheese in a large baking dish.  For the topping there is lots of cheese and we also added a lot of breadcrumbs for Sylvia and sesame seeds for me.  This make the top so crispy and satisfying. 

Now it is ready for the oven but you can pause here if you wish.  When we made it for Sylvia and her dad's Christmas dinner, we made up to this point the day before, kept it in the fridge overnight and then it was baked the next day.

Then you bake it until the cheese is melted and golden brown.  It smells amazing.  It looks amazing.  It tastes amazing.  Once it is ready, it has taken so long and the smell calls to you like a siren so you can't wait to dig the spoon into the mac and cheese and hear it crack that crispy topping. 
 

This photo is of Sylvia's mac and cheese that she served on Christmas day with lots of vegies.  What a feast!  Her and her dad raved abut how good it was.  I had a taste when I came home from Christmas day with my family.  Now while I love mac and cheese, I don't usually see it as a festive dish.  It is not part of my Christmas traditions.  But this was different to a bog standard mac and cheese.  It was so special and so delicious that even I found this meal fit for Christmas day!  We made it again  in the new year to celebrate her birthday!  It made a truckload but it makes for amazing leftovers if it is not devoured by a grateful crowd.  Mac and cheese might not be part of my festive traditions but leftovers certainly are welcome after rushing around like crazy to prepare for a celebration.

On an ordinary weekday we get by with something quick and easy that will do.  We save our energy for when we really want something special.  This mac and cheese is a lot of work but it is worth all taking more time and putting in extra effort for when you want something that is amazing enough, rich enough, scrumdidliumptious enough to impress a crowd and celebrate an occasion!  It can be changed up to use different vegetables or leave them out depending on your preference.  And if your 15 year old daughter wants to make it for Christmas dinner, you would be a fool to refuse, not matter what your traditions.

More recipes with mac and cheese on Green Gourmet Giraffe blog:

Mac and cheese layered nut roast
Mac and cheese pancakes
Macaroni cheese with sauerkraut, cauliflower and blue cheese (v)
Quick one pot mac and cheese
Vegie mac and cheese money bag dumplings

Mac and cheese with cauliflower and leek
Adapted from Ima Food Blog
Serves 6-8

1 tbsp oil
1 leek
 
1 cauliflower
500g pasta cavatappi (or another corkscrew pasta)
 
250g mozzarella cheese
250g sharp cheddar cheese
125g red leicester cheese 

1/4 tsp black peppercorns (or ground pepper)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
 
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp plain flour
340ml tin of evaporated milk
250-300m heavy cream
1 tbsp seeded mustard

Optional topping:

Breadcrumbs (panko works well)
Sesame seeds

1. Fry the leek

Heat oil in a frypan while you slice the leek.  Let it fry over medium low heat, stirring occasionally for 15-20 minutes or until the leeks are soft and cooked.

2. Prepare other ingredients - pasta, cauliflower, cheese and spices

While the leeks fry, prepare other ingredients.  

Put water on the stove to bring salted water to the boil in a stockpot to cook the pasta.  Trim the cauliflower and chop into bite sized pieces.  Add cauliflower pieces and pasta and simmer for 8 minutes.  Drain and return to the stockpot. 

Grate the cheeses and mix them together.  Grind a 1/4 tsp of peppercorns and add to the salt, garlic powder and paprika.  

Preheat oven to 200 C (if baking straight away).

3, Make the cheese sauce

Melt the butter in a large saucepan or a frypan.  Stir in flour and spices to make a roux.  Cook a few minutes over low heat until fragrant.  

Gradually stir in evaporated milk, cream and mustard, a little at a time making sure it is totally mixed with roux before adding the next amount (start small and add more each time as the mixture thins.)  Once all the liquid is incorporated, turn up the heat and bring to the boil, stirring regularly.  It will thicken slightly.  

Add half the grated cheese, a couple of handfuls at a time until it melts and then add more until all of it is incorporated to make a cheese sauce.  The sauce should be stretchy and thicker now.

4. Mix together the mac and cheese sauce

Pour the cheese sauce onto the pasta and cauliflower.  Add the cooked leeks.  Stir everything together gently. 

6, Layer and bake

Tip half the pasta mixture into a 9 x 13 inch rectangular baking dish and spread out evenly.  (No need to grease or line it because there is enough grease in the mixture.)  Sprinkle with half the remaining grated cheese.  Spoon the remaining pasta mixture evenly on top of the cheese and sprinkle with remaining cheese.  If you are using breadcrumbs and sesame seeds over the cheese.

If you want to serve within hours of coming out of the oven, bake now.  Or, if you want to serve the next day, the unbaked lasagna can be refrigerated overnight and brought out to cool to room temperature a few hours before baking the next day.  Bake at 200 C for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

7. Serve and store any leftovers!

Ideally let sit for 15-30 minutes once out of the oven before serving but it can be served straight away piping hot.  Leftovers will last a few days in the fridge in an airtight container once cooled.  We heated ours up in the microwave.

On the stereo:
Good Humour (Part 1): St Etienne

Lentil and celery soup

This celery and lentil soup was just right for a busy day.  It was quick and easy to make and so satisfying to eat.  I started the day with pancakes for breakfast that Sylvia made before we took the cat to the vet and I rode into work.  The vet reported that the cat was recovering from conjunctivitis so that was not the best use of my time, though you can never be sure!  

When I arrived at work (in a newly refurbished building), I made my way through the heavy doors to park my bike in the basement, finally found the lift and then spent too much time roaming the hot desks to find one that would connect my laptop to my organisation's systems.  I finally settled at a desk only to find documents from the previous day had disappeared from my computer, Sylvia had a problem at home, the room booking systems are still not working and IT rang me back as I was about to go into a meeting.  And I had so much work to do!  Thank goodness for the minor victory when I was given permission to go ahead and get the charging port fixed on my laptop.  Technology and bureaucracy are so draining!

After such a day, I just wanted to slump on the sofa when I got home.  Making a list of meals for the week each weekend helps to get dinner underway.  Then all I had to do was chop some vegies and get up occasionally to stir and then blend.  This sort of recipe is pretty forgiving.  Quantities were changed and the vegies didn't need to be cut straight and uniform because they were all blended to a puree at the end.

 

I chose the recipe because I am pretty keen on celery lately and Sylvia is willing to try many soups if she can add pasta.  She hasn't not had red lentils sin soup since she was a baby so this was something a bit different for her.  I wanted to add green peas because they make everything more green and Sylvia wanted a leek because she loves them (despite not being keen on onions).  I love the taste of red lentils but it took a few suggestions to find one that Sylvia would try.  It had so many vegetables that the lentil flavour was not so prominent.  

This soup was delicious and had a pleasing shade of green.  I had it was an sourdough oat bread and soy milk.  Sylvia had hers with parmesan cheese and pasta.  We both loved the soup and decided this would be a great recipe to make as we enjoy some cooler autumnal weather.

More celery recipes on Green Gourmet Giraffe blog:

Celery and blue cheese soup (gf)
Celery salt (gf, v)
Celery, watercress and cauliflower salad (gf, v)
Creamy celery soup (gf, v) 
Wild rice, cranberry, celery and walnut salad (gf, v)

Lentil and celery soup
Adapted from Fuss Free Flavours
Makes about 8 servings 

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 head celery, roughly chopped
• 1 leek, chopped
  
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped (or garlic powder)
  
• 300 g (1 and 1/2 cups) red lentils
  
• 2 litres (8 cups) stock
• 1 good pinch of smoked salt (or 1/4 tsp smoked paprika) 
• 1-3 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup green peas
• 1 head (2 cups) broccoli, chopped
• salt and pepper ( to taste) 
• To serve: grated parmesan cheese or dairy milk or plant milk (optional)

Heat oil in a stockpot over medium high heat.  Fry celery and leek for about 5-10 minutes until soft.

Stir in garlic and red lentils for a minute and then add stock, smoked salt and vinegar.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Add green peas and broccoli.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Blend with a hand held blender.

Check seasoning and adjust if necessary.  Serve with parmesan or dairy milk or plant milk.

On the stereo:
Da da da Da (EP): Club Hoy

My Monthly Chronicles, February 2025

February was another crazy month but in a different way to January.  Less cafes, less outings and less holidays.  There was still fun.  I enjoyed seeing A Complete Unknown (Bob Dylan biopic) and I wrote about the excellent Macbeth in the Botanic Gardens, the first local history talk for the year (with some passionate response to a talk on colonisation and Aboriginal people), and we had some nice eating out for Sylvia's birthday as well as making purchases at op shops for her presents. 

Mostly it seemed that I was busy with work and sorting out the start of the school year so we were eating at home more (see In My Kitchen - February 2025).  On top of that, international politics were dire but I was loving a new Sunday morning panel show called the Sunday Shot with some great insights into current affairs. 

Coburg Farmers Market

We had a lovely visit to Coburg Farmers Market before a birthday lunch for me with my parents.  We used to go so much and now it is not that often.  Every time we go, it is wonderful to get outside and see the beautiful food, friendly faces and hard work of local producers.  With the world gone crazy, a farmers market is the perfect way to remind oneself that community and hope is still possible.

Merri Creek bike path

Another way of enjoying the outdoors is my regularly bike rides.  I took this photo of the sun breaking through the trees to create a gorgeous reflection in the Merri Creek by the bike path as I ventured the furtherest North on the path than I have ever been before.  No matter how long I live in the inner North of Melbourne, there are always great surprises.

Wabi Sabi Salon, Colliingwood

We had a lunch at Wabi Sabi Salon at 94 Smith St, Collingwood to try out the vegan Wabi Sabi Signature Teishoku (set menu).  The above photo is of our trays of food.  It was a lot for the two of us.  The bottom tray is Sylvia's who got the Agedashi tofu with eggplant, zucchini and shitake mushroom.  I had the Grilled sweet potato with crispy chickpeas at the top of the photo.  The slab of half a sweet potato was huge and covered in a spicy kewpie mayo.  I really loved the crispy chickpeas.

In addition to each main we both had lots of side dishes:  curried cauliflower, rainbow chard, marinated eggplant, potato salad, rice, pickled cucumber (so refreshing) and amazing miso soup.  The soup was beautifully flavoured.  I love how, when stirred, the sheets of seaweed and chunks of tofu swirl through the cloudiness.  Often miso soup is not available to vegetarians because the broth is meat or fish.  So it was a treat to have a good one.  Sylvia ordered an Onsen egg as an extra and I ordered some Natto as an extra because I have never had a chance to try it.  I wanted to love the natto, the fermented soy beans) but they were so slimy and the stretchy strings reminded me of saliva hanging from an old man's mouth.

The meal was wonderful.  So many flavours and textures.  I liked my sweet potato but next time I would love to try the Pumpkin stuffed mushroom tempura with teriyaki balsamic.  At $31 for each of our set meals, it was not cheap but it was a great experience.

Wabi Sabi Salon, and Smith Street

It was a warm day so we ate inside but the entrance to the courtyard was really enticing.  The Japanese signs and orange wall and plants made it feel very Asian and tranquil.  I couldn't resist a quick photo, once the instagrammer in front of me had her friend photograph every variation of her pose!

Then we headed up Smith Street towards the Bead Centre.  Smith Street makes me nostalgic for life in a student household nearby.  So much has changed since then but I am always happy that Friends of the Earth (FoE) co-operative is still there.  At the top of the post is part of the colourful mural with the giant broccoli on the side wall.  There were so many places on Smith Street we wanted to stop and browse.  Lots of new cafes and interesting window displays.  We had a quick look in the op shop (St Mark's recycling).

The Bead Centre, Collingwood

The Bead Centre (348 Smith St) has been on Sylvia's wish list for some time.  It has a huge range of beads - plastic, metal, crystals - in all sorts of colours.  It also has lots of cute pendants and earrings.  And reasonable prices.  Sylvia bought a pair of apple core earrings for $5. 

Merri Community Shed Craft Market, Coburg

This is the old Coburg Bowling Club that closed recently and now houses the Merri Community Shed which was formerly the Men's Shed but now is open to everyone.  So much change!  I went there to a Craft Markets to see my friend Karin's stall.  The market is for community crafters and the makers from the shed to hold stalls.  There was a display of blacksmithing and tours of the shed. 

Merri Community Shed Craft Market, crafts

Above are photos of some of the crafts on offer: plants in recycled and cut glass bottles; old table cloths in embroidery hoops remade into jewellery holders; crochet sunflowers; and mystery books wrapped in brown paper with clues to the type of book inside.  There was also jewellery, woodwork and swirly resin platters.  It was a good place to buy a couple of presents for Sylvia's birthday.  I hope to get to more markets.  The next is in May.

Hunter Gatherer, Fitzroy

Just before Sylvia's birthday we visited some op shops and second hand shops along Brunswick Street.  Hunter Gather (274 Brunswick Street) is a BSL op shop but on a hipster street so it is fancy prices. I still rue the day I found my most adorable green teacup ad saucer but didn't buy it due to the high price.  I found a belt that seemed quite expensive for an op shop so I searched the brand online.  At the counter, I asked for a cheaper price that was more in line with the online prices and got a discount.  This is not something I usually do but the prices these days are so crazy that I wanted to say something!

We also found some great clothes at the Brunswick Street Vinnies.  By the way, I think of op shops as places for people to get cheap second hand goods while donating to charities.  It was interesting recently to hear from my mum that her local St Vincent de Paul gets the bulk of its money from op shop sales.  This was a good reminder how important op shops are to the community.  After all, we need charities to fill the gaps left by our government in helping the less fortunate.

Lost and Found Market, Fitzroy

After Hunter Gatherer, we spent a lot of time at Lost and Found Market (288 Brunswick St) close by.  A lot of time!  This is a huge space upstairs with lines of stalls.  Some have lots of clothes or jewellery or kitchenware.  I love the display above with all the retro jugs, teapots and plates.  We took so long browsing that I had to go and move the car because our 2 hour parking limit was up,

Good Daze Canteen, Fitzroy

Feeling very happy with our purchases and very hot due the mercury soaring, our last stop was at Good Days Canteen (316 Brunswick St).  Sylvia has wanted to go there for so long and so she had planned this as a birthday treat.  She loved her cone with a scoop of matcha and a scoop of mango sticky rice.  I had an amazing miso peanut butter caramel ice cream.  It was so good with chunks of chewy caramel. 

South Melbourne street art

We also had a trip to South Melbourne as part of Sylvia's festival of birthday.  This is an area we don't go to often.  If we had had more time, I would have loved to go to the South Melbourne market and stroll around the hipster streets of shady trees and busy pavement tables outside cafes.  As it was, we were busy enough with visiting two cafes that I have written about: Juniper Eatery and Meeya Cafe cake painting, South Melbourne.  Today I share a part of the some street art on Coventry Street near the corner of Clarendon Street.  It includes the South Melbourne Town Hall is a place I remember seeing from when we were little and my used to point out where he worked.

Noi Pizzeria, Coburg

The last celebration of Sylvia's birthday was at Noi Pizzeria with her dad and my parents.  Sylvia has wanted to go to Noi in Preston for some time but when we were planning we found there was a new Noi in Coburg at 18b Pentridge Boulevard.  The food was excellent.

I had the Eggplant parmigiana pizza (from the special's menu).  The crust was amazing but the toppings got a bit soggy though I guess that is the trade off of having beautifully cooked eggplant.  Alone it would have been nice, but I am learning that Italian food is best with sides and salads.  We shared Spinach arancini, Shoestring fries and Rucola salad of rocket, shaved parmesan and balsamic glaze.  I also tasted other's dishes (other than my mum's calamari).  The other mains were also really good: Cheese ravioli with cherry tomatoes and pesto for my dad, Sofia pizza that is topped with mozzarella, grilled zucchini, rosemary potatoes, mushrooms, garlic, chilli, and friarielli cream for E, and Spicy rigatoni with tomato vodka and fresh burrata from the specials for Sylvia. 

Noi Pizzeria, drinks

To drink we had alcohol free spritz, beer on tap, apple juice and chinotto.  It was my first time finding an alcohol free spritz and I enjoyed it.  It was on the special's menu.  I hope that they decide to move it to the regular menu.  So refreshing and very Italian.  Just right for a balmy summer's evening.  We didn't stay for dessert.  Instead we headed back to our place for the delicious caramel tart that my mum made.  (See it at In My Kitchen - February 2025.)

On the Telly.  My favourite tv show lately is The Newsreader.  It is set in a newsroom in 1980s Melbourne.  We just finished watching the latest series that was screened on the ABC this year.  It has been amazing at depicting interesting characters from underrepresented groups.  In the background to the drama were local and international news stories from the time that took me back to hearing these stories.  The last episode was so amazing and satisfying that I had to go to my room to digest it in quiet after it finished.  We've also enjoyed the eccentricity, whimsy and humour in Bob's Burgers.

In the news:

Lattouf, Lalor dismissals another salvo in attack on free speech and Creative Australia's shameful dumping of Khaled Sabsabi by Rosemary Sorenson in Independent Australia, 5 and 15 February 2025.

As any woman in the back of a locked taxi knows, Sam Kerr should never have been brought to court, by Suzanne Wrack in the Guardian, 12 February 2025.

Fact Check: No, Ron Howard didn't author 'I'm a liberal' letter (with letter in full), in Snopes, 12 February 2025.

Profiles of courage (in resistance to Trump) by Robert Reich on substack, 13 February 2025.

‘This is a coup’: Trump and Musk’s purge is cutting more than costs, say experts, in The Guardian, 17 February 2025. This is just the trip of Trump craziness but I don't have the energy to find links for tariffs, the Gaza Riviera, banning plastic straws, cancelling research funding.  

And here we are: not with a bang but a wimp (sic) by Tin Dunlop and MediaActive in The Future of Everything, 19 February 2025. 

Young Britons ‘to be given chance to live and work in Europe’ under Starmer’s plan for post-Brexit reset in the Independent, 21 February 2025.

Media negatively frames Labor’s achievements, by Jenny Hocking in Echo, 27 February 2025.